The Diner
by hutchshottie
Summary: Ice Creams and Bullets. A visit to a quiet diner does not turn out the way Danny planned. He is soon drawn into a hostage situation and has to not only protect the people inside and himself but he has to protect the one special person in his life...Grace.
1. Chapter 1

The Diner

Detective Danny Williams sat staring at the large glass of ice cream sat in front of his younger daughter. It was covered in all sorts of sprinkles, candy and marshmallows. It looked larger then a newborn baby. Danny glanced at this 10 year old daughter Grace as she gleefully tucked into the dessert. Danny felt guilty for filling her up with all the sugar and contributing to rotting her teeth, something his ex was always bugging him about, but he loved treating his little monkey. Today she had been to a friend's birthday party which had been cut short when the birthday girl became ill. So Danny agreed to take her to her favourite diner for a treat.

"No treats for you tonight" A lady said from across Danny. She was talking to her little girl who had the same dessert and was sat opposite Grace. "I think we made a bad decision letting them decide on the actual ice cream."

"I agree. That is not a good move." Danny replied.

"Thank you for inviting us along. Maddie was looking forward to the party, shame it ended so soon."

"Hey thats cool. Grace and Maddie don't get time to play together a lot. Plus, you kept promising me a coffee." Danny noted.

"True." The lady replied. The door of the diner opened and Danny watched as a middle aged man walked in. Something inside Danny was telling him to keep an eye on him. The man looked slightly edgy, looking around him and taking a seat at the counter. "Something wrong?" The lady noticed Danny looking at the man.

"No, nothing is wrong. More coffee?" He asked. The lady nodded and Danny headed to the counter. As he did he glanced over to the man. Danny noticed the mans hand was slightly dirty and he noticed a minor shake in it.

"What can I do for you hun?" Asked the waitress.

"More coffee over here please." Danny said.

"Sure thing, will bring it on over." She said. Danny glanced at the man as he headed back to the girls at the table.

"Daddy can Maddie and her mum come back to ours after?" Grace asked Danny.

"I am sure Maddie and her mum have plans Gracie. Excuse my daughter Kate, she can be a bit forward some time." Danny replied.

"Don't worry about it. And no, we don't have plans. I can do us some dinner while the girls play." Kate said smiling at Danny. Danny hated to admit it but he had liked Kate for a short while but he was too chicken to ask her for coffee. He was silently glad the party had ended early, it gave him a chance to have that coffee with her.

"Did you want some mommy? Its lovely." Maddie asked her mother.

"No sweetie, you eat it all." She said. Danny smiled and watched as another man walked in the door of the diner and headed over to the man at the counter. This second man also looked a bit off to Danny.

"So why don't you girls hurry up and eat your ice cream and we can head out to the beach maybe." Danny suggested, overthinking that he might need to get the girls out of the diner in a hurry.

"I love the beach." Kate said.

"Me too." Danny replied.

"No you don't Danno, you always say you hate it." Grace said.

"Well I have changed my mind monkey." Danny looked over to the men. They were deep in conversation but were looking beyond edgy.

"You sure everything is okay? You look weird." Kate smiled.

"Everything is fine." Danny said. The men at the counter were beginning to get louder and Danny could make out a few words. He wasn't sure but he thought he heard the words score, hide and money. He didn't like the whole feeling. "We need to leave." Danny said to Kate. He reached into his inner jacket to make sure his gun was close by. As he did one of the men at the counter glanced over to Danny. Sensing something was wrong, the man backed away followed by his partner. Danny kept an eye on him but all of a sudden the man grabbed a nearby waitress and pulled out a gun, placing it against her neck. Screams echoed around the diner as people dived for cover. Cups and glasses smashed to the ground. Danny pulled his gun out and stood in front of the girls, pushing them down under the table for cover.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the nice reviews. You guys ROCK!

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"Back away!" The man screamed. The second man looked shocked at this partners actions, also pulled a gun out and pointed it at the diner patrons. "What are you doing here!"

"I don't know who you are, just let her go." Danny said.

"Stay back!" The man screamed. He pointed his gun towards Danny and let off a shot. Danny dived out of the way but his attention was drawn away when he heard more screams. The second man also let off a few rounds and a few windows shattered. More screams sounded. Danny glanced over to Grace who was huddled under the table in the arms of Kate and Maddie. He nodded to her and she nodded back. Danny moved to stand up but felt a gun dig into his neck.

"Don't move." Danny recognised the voice of the first man. He reached down and grabbed Danny's gun from his hand. "Who are you?"

"No one, just here having coffee." Danny replied. He could see out of the corner of his eye a figure sprawled on the floor.

"You are armed, who are you?" The man asked.

"Let me tend to the victim." Danny said. The man grabbed Danny by the back of the neck and pulled him up. In a swift second he pushed Danny against the side wall behind them, pinning him against it with his arm across Danny's neck.

"Who are you?" The man asked him. Danny didn't answer. The man handed his gun to his friend who kept it pointed at Danny. The other man started to go through Danny's pockets. Danny closed his eyes in silent hope that he wouldn't find his 5-0 badge. The mans hand searched the trouser pockets and stopped as it came across something interesting. The man pulled out the unmistakeable shiny badge that identified Danny as a police officer, as the enemy.

"And what do we have here?" The man wondered looking at the badge. "5-0? You're a cop!"

"Looks that way."

"What were you doing here? How did you know?" The man asked him, pushing his face closer to Danny. Danny tried to take a breath but the mans arm was pressed firmly against his neck.

"I...I was just here...having coffee. I don't...even know who you are."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"It's true. I was just having...coffee." Danny repeated. The man looked from Danny and back to the rest of the scared patrons of the diner. He spotted the cowering children under the table, covered by a pretty lady. They were all looking at the man and Danny. The man turned back to Danny and in a swift move he threw Danny to the ground.

"Charlie, lock them doors. We have a little problem here."


	3. Chapter 3

Steve sat and watched as Kono and Catherine emerged from the water in front of him. Catherine was nursing an injury and has asked Kono for some surfing refresher lessons. The three had decided to hang out by Kamekona's truck on the glorious day. Steve picked at the plate of shrimps and looked up at Kamekona who was debating some taste testing trays.

"Maybe you should ask other people's opinions on them Kamekona. Would help a lot" Steve suggested.

"Only I can taste test my shrimp bruh." He said. "I need to make sure its the best."

"They are Kamekona." Steve said.

"Let me get you some of my first new recipe. Fresh off the grill."

"I am still working on these bruh."

"I forgot how free it feels out there." Catherine said as she returned to Steve.

"You looked great out there." Steve complimented her.

"She did great, you would never have thought she had been off a board for that long." Kono mentioned.

"I am still rusty, but it felt great to get back on a board."

"I would never have seen you as a surfer chick." Kamekona mentioned.

"I love it. Shame I had to take a break from it for so long" Catherine said.

"It is amazing how you miss it when you cant get out there." Kono said.

"Hey I thought Chin was joining us." Catherine noted.

"He called, there is some sort of hold up in the traffic. He said he would get here when he could." Steve mentioned.

"It's everyone rushing for my new shrimp dishes." Kamekona said handing Steve another plate of shrimp.

"I am not sure I can eat another plate full."

"Of course you can." The cheery chef said. Steve's phone rang and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mc Garrett." He said.

"Steve its Chin. I am down and Hoa street and HPD got it cornered off. There is a siege inside a diner." Chin said.

"Robbery?" Steve asked.

"Not too sure. But we have defiantly got a problem."

"Why?"

"Danny's car is parked outside and I can't reach him on the phone."


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the team didn't waste anytime in getting to the scene. Chin , who was stood outside with Duke, approached the others. Steve noticed Danny's car sat directly outside the entrance to the diner. The diner blinds were shut and there was no way of seeing into the building.

"What do we know Chin?" Steve asked him.

"Eyewitnesses reported hearing screaming following by gunshots and called HPD. Luckily Duke and another unit were only seconds away and arrived here quickly. There has been no contact and no one has appeared at the doors or windows." Chin said.

"Danny?"

"Duke noticed his car and I tried to call him when I arrived. No answer. I have tried him a few times." Chin said.

"Are we sure its Danny's car? I thought he was at a party with Grace today." Catherine wondered.

"It is his alright, I drive it enough to know. He was meant to be at a party. So why is his car here?"

"God, I hope he isn't inside." Kono said.

"Why would he be here?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know." Steve replied. He looked at his team, concern evident on their faces. "Okay. I know we are all worried about Danny but we don't know for sure that he is inside. What we do have is a hostage situation with an unknown number of people inside. So let's do what we do best. Kono, this street has a few camera's, see what you can get. Chin, we need to talk to some of these on lookers, they might have seen something helpful. Catherine, is there anything you can do about getting a rough layout of the diner, exits, routes too and from."

"Yeah sure." Catherine nodded and immediately dialled a number on her phone.

"Duke." Steve called to the officer. "Be sure to tell your men not to do anything until commanded. We need to get an idea of what is going on in there and how many people are involved. Its a diner so there is a chance there are families inside. If Danny is in there, there is also a chance Grace is there too. We need to tread lightly."  
"We are ready to do what you command." Duke replied.

"Good thanks." Steve walked closer to the cornered off section around Danny's car. He needed to check the car over. Maybe it has broken down and this was where Danny had left it. He turned to two officers beside him. "Keep a look out fellows. I need to check out this car." The officers nodded and Steve crept to the car. Keeping his head down, Steve moved to the truck of the car. He knelt down and checked the back tyres. They both looked intact. He looked on the ground underneath the car and couldn't see any sign of damage, oil or water leaking. He peeked over the hood and towards the diner for a second. He couldn't hear or see anything from inside the diner. His gut was telling him Danny was inside, but he knew he needed to confirm it. He tried the door and opened the driver's side. He peered inside. Everything looked fine. Grace's jacket was on the passenger seat and two small party bags sat on the back seat. Steve silently closed the door and moved to the front. He put his hand on the hood of the car. It was cold, indicating that it had been sat there for a while. He slowly crept back towards the safe area.

"Anything?" Chin asked him.

"I can't see anything obvious and the engine is cold." Steve said. He was about to say something when a gunshot sounded from inside. Steve and Chin ducked as they looked at the diner door.


	5. Chapter 5

So sorry for the delay. Been busy.

Here is a longer chapter to make up for it!

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The people trapped inside the diner all screamed as a gunshot sounded from the kitchen. The man, now identified as Shane, looked to the kitchen. In seconds the door swung open and Charlie appeared.

"What on earth is going on Charlie?" He asked him.

"Found someone hiding in the back." Charlie said. "We had words." Danny, who was relegated to sit in a booth with Shane, stood up and looked at Charlie.

"So you shot him?" Danny asked.

"That's how I talk things through."

"Let me check on him. He may need medical attention." Danny pointed out.

"Well, I think it could be too late for that." Charlie sniggered.

"You don't want anyone in here to die, trust me. It will go all bad for you. My team wont stand by and let it happen." Danny looked at Shane.

"Your team are not here now are they?" Shane commented.

"Just let me go back there and check on him. If he is dead, what harm will it do if I just check?" Danny asked him. Shane looked from Danny and over to Charlie.

"Charlie watch this lot in here. If anyone moves, shoot them." Shane motioned for Danny to move ahead of him and towards the kitchen. Danny walked through and immediately saw the shoe of a man in front of him. The rest of him was hidden behind a large stove. Danny rushed to his side. He noticed it was a young man of Hawaii descent. He had a large bleeding gunshot wound square in his chest. Blood was pooling around the body. Danny knew it wasn't a good sign. Yet he still reached forward and tried to feel for a pulse. As expected he could feel nothing. He bowed his head for a second.

"Why are you here?" He asked softly.

"Business." Shane replied. Danny stood up and faced him.

"What type of business brings you to a small diner and causes you to shoot people?"

"You really think I am going to stand here and spill my guts to a cop? Not a chance."

"I just want to understand, I want to end this with no more of this." Danny pointed to the dead man by his feet.

"Oh you will help me, trust me on that."

"Not in the way you think. No way." Danny said defiantly. Shane stepped closer to him bringing the gun up slightly.

"Oh you will. If you value the lives of the people in there. Of your daughter?!"

"Don't you dare..." Danny screamed lunging for Shane. Shane was quick and stepped to the side as Danny approached him. In a swift movement he brought an elbow down on the back of Danny's neck. Danny crumpled to the floor, grunting in pain. Danny took only a second to shake the pain away before he reacted again. He knew he needed to take advantage of being alone with him. He needed to take him out if he had a chance of saving the people in the diner. Danny bear hugged Shane's legs and brought him down to the tiled floor. The man clattered to the ground hard. Danny tried to reach for the gun that Shane had still kept hold of but the man recovered quickly and kicked out at Danny. The kick caught Danny on the chin and Danny recoiled as the pain hit. Shane scrambled up and stood over Danny. He grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up. Danny also acted quick and twisted himself around and almost behind Shane, he once more reached for Shane's gun. Shane took advantage of Danny being behind him and thrust an elbow into his stomach. Danny stumbled back, coughing as the wind escaped from his lungs. Shane moved closer to Danny. He grabbed the back of his collar and pressed the gun into the side of his neck.

"Stupid move!" Shane hissed. "I am going to kill you right in front of your little girl." He pushed Danny in front of him and roughly through the swinging doors. The force made Danny stumble to the floor by the diner counter. Shane stood over him and pointed the gun at the back of his neck. Cries could be heard around the diner. As Shane cocked the gun, the diner phone rang.

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Steve's heart was beating fast as he crouched behind his car beside Chin, Kono and Catherine. No more shots sounded so Steve tried to rush towards the diner. Chin quickly reached out and pulled him back.

"Steve. You can't. We don't know what is in there." Chin said.

"Chin I have too. Danny..."

"We don't know for sure. We have to play it softly." He said. He looked at the commander's face. " If he is in there...we will get him out I promise."

"Okay...I know." Steve nodded. "Okay. We need to know what is going on in there. Duke, I need a secure line into the bank. We need to talk to whoever is inside. Please tell me we have some information."

"I have a copy of the plans on their way here." Catherine said.

"There are camera's but its gonna take a while to go through them all." Kono reported.

"Catherine, go with Kono and see what you can find out. Chin?"

"Most of the onlookers arrived when they heard the first shots. But a gentleman waiting for his lift said he watched people come and go. He didn't see anyone that looked obvious as a shooter. He did say he saw a lot of families and young children go in and out."

"To be expected, its popular with families. It means we are probably looking at there being children in there." Steve said.

"I asked if anyone saw Danny leave his car and enter the diner but no one saw him." Chin said. Duke walked back over to the 5 0 team.

"We are working on the phone line. But a worker who was due to arrive for shift has turned up. He is over there." Duke said pointing to a young boy by one of the police cars.

"I need to talk to him." Steve said. Steve and Chin headed over and introduced themselves to the young man.

"Mayon, who will be in the diner at this time of day?" Steve asked him.

"Ummm...Gina, Kekoa, Stu and Lea. I think." He said.

"Have you have problems like this before?"

"No...never...we are a small diner. We don't even carry that much money. Who would want to do this?" The young man was clearly shaking in shock. Steve put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

"Right now we don't know that this is a robbery. There are so many reasons why this might have happened."

"They say there has been gunshots." The man said.

"Yes there has, we don't know if anyone is hurt. Why don't you stay with the officer over there and as soon as we have any information we will let you know." Steve said. A female officer led the young man away leaving Steve and Chin looking at the diner. Steve couldn't take his eyes off Danny's car outside. He knew Danny was inside. He just knew it. And it was worse that Grace was probably inside with him. He would never forgive himself if something happened to either one of them. His phone rang and he picked it up.

"Yeah." He said.

"Steve, we have CCTV footage from across the road at the bakers, Danny and Grace went inside about 20 minutes before the gunshot sounded. They went in with a lady and another little girl." Catherine said. Steve bowed his head as he spoke.

"Any indication who is responsible for this?"

"Nothing obvious. No men rushing in, no one in trench coats. Everyone who has walked in seems normal." Catherine replied.

"So the shooter is either a normal person or a worker inside." Steve said.

"Steve, we have a secure line." Duke said. Steve nodded.

"Catherine, see if you and Kono can make out any faces from the CCTV that we can run against the computer." Catherine agreed and Steve looked to Duke. Duke handed him a cell phone.

"Just press 0. It takes you straight through." Duke explained. Steve took the phone and pressed the number. The phone rang.


	6. Chapter 6

Shane glared at the small handset that sat on the side of the counter. Danny breathed a sigh of relief as Shane was distracted. Danny lifted his head and caught a glimpse of the girls under the table. His eyes fell on Grace and he noticed she was crying. He wanted to go over to her, to comfort her.

"Stay strong." He mouthed to her. She nodded and took a deep breathe. Danny looked up to Shane.

"You should answer that." Danny said. Shane reacted by pressing the gun into Danny's neck. Danny closed his eyes but could hear Shane pressing a button on the phone.

"What?!" Shane shouted down the phone. On the other end was Steve.

"This is Commander Steve McGarrett, head of the 5 0 task squad. Who am I talking to?"

"Santa Claus!" Shane replied.

"Well Santa, bit early for Christmas aren't we?"

"I felt festive." Shane still had the gun pressed into Danny's neck as he spoke.

"Is everyone inside okay? We heard a gunshot."

"Very observant of you. Almost everyone is okay."

"You have injured inside?" Steve asked him.

"Possibly. But I aint having anyone come inside dressed as a paramedic. Forget it."

"Okay, just let me know what you want so we can put an end to this."

"I want you and your hundreds of officers to leave."

"You know I can't do that. Not while there are people inside."

"Oh I think you will." Shane said. In a swift second he turned the phone off and pulled Danny up by his collar. He snaked an arm around his neck and dragged him to the door. "Charlie, the door please." Charlie reached and unlocked the door, opening it slightly. Shane dragged Danny to the door, the gun at his head.

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Outside the diner, Steve and Chin stood in silence, unsure of what had happened. The phone had gone off and for a few seconds it was all silent. All of a sudden the door of the diner opened and Steve and Chin were shocked to see their friend appear, a gun at his head. A man was behind him, his arm almost strangling Danny. Steve's eyes fixed on Danny's. He looked scared. Steve felt his heart begin to race.

"Danny!" Steve called. The officers looked on in horror. Steve wanted to rush towards his friend but knew it was too dangerous. The man was hiding behind Danny, the gun digging into his neck.

"I know who he is! I know he is one of yours. I will kill him if you don't back off." The man called across the road.

"You don't have to do that. No one is going to do anything okay. Let him go and take me." Steve said.

"Steve!" Danny said.

"If he is that important to you then you will so what I ask. Back off. Now!" He called. Steve looked into Danny's panicked eyes.

"Okay. I will get them to leave but I am staying. I can't go while those people are in there." Steve called back.

"Leave now!" Shane called. In a split second he dragged Danny back inside the diner. Charlie closed and locked the door and Shane threw Danny to the ground. "You better hope they listened."

"Look, you don't need these people. Let them go. I will stay." Danny said.

"Not a chance. Now shut up." Shane said. He looked back to Charlie and then to the people all around the diner. "We may be here sometime people, get comfy. Everyone move to that side of the diner with my friend." Shane said indicating the left side of the diner. "Everyone expect you." He pointed his gun at Danny. "Move!" Everyone jumped up and rushed over to the side of the diner. Danny watched Grace, Maddie and Kate head over to the side. Kate had her arms around the scared girls as they cowered on the floor. Danny looked at Grace once more. She looked terrified. He needed to get her out of this place. Everyone settled and Shane stood closer to Danny.

"Get up!" He demanded. Danny stood up and Shane motioned for him to move to a booth nearby. The two men slid into the seats and Shane sat looking at Danny, the gun pointing at him.

"Shane listen to me. Having these people here is just going to cause you more problems." Danny said.

"Like how?" Shane sat back slightly, waiting for the excuse this cop would give him.

"My team won't rest while there are women and children still in here. You have me. Use me and let these people go."

"Don't you ever change the record?"

"You forget who I am. I have seen many situations like this and I know that as soon as you show them a sign of good will they will do the same. They will do what you want them too. Let these people go." Danny pleaded once more. Shane pushed the gun further forward and closer to Danny.

"You don't get to tell me what to do. I tell you. Now shut up, or I will shut you up myself."

"Shane, they are moving." Charlie said. Shane stood up and peered out of the window. He only caught a small section of the road in front of the diner, but he clearly saw the police cars backing away.

"Well at least they listened to something." Shane said. He looked to Danny, making sure the gun was still pointed at him. "Is this a bluff?"

"How am I meant to know?" Danny asked him.

"You are one of them, you know how they think. Is this a trick?"

"They know the value of the lives of the people in here. You wanted them gone, they have gone." Danny said.

"Come on Shane lets go. Its all clear out there." Charlie said.

"No its not. His partner is still out there. Which means we got some negotiating to do."


	7. Chapter 7

The HPD police cars backed away from the diner as instructed by Steve. But Steve wasn't going to let them go far. He had instructed them to head to the road behind them and camp out in the stores that were running behind him. That way they were close by. Steve and the team stood at the bonnet of Steve's car looking over the blueprints that had arrived. They looked at the outline of the diner, trying to find an alternate route inside the building.

"Going through the back is an option but there are too many people inside. Someone could get hit in any cross fire. We need to know where they are at this moment and work on getting them out if we can." Steve said.

"Knowing Danny, he is probably working on that right now. He isn't going to want them or Grace inside."

"Yeah and knowing Danny he will offer himself in exchange for everyone in there." Steve said.

"But isn't that in some way good. If Danny can get them to release the people inside then there we can launch an attack with minimum danger to anyone inside." Catherine said.

"Except Danny. There is no way they are going to let Danny go. They know he is a cop and perfect leverage." Steve pointed out.

"We just have to hope Danny is ready." Chin said.

"Kono any news on who these guys are?" Steve asked.

"I have used the CCTV footage from his brief appearance and I am cross checking it on the computer but nothing has come up yet." Kono said.

"Any reports of robberies or escaped criminals in the area? They could be hiding out" Steve asked Duke who stood with them.

"Nothing at the moment but I will get an update and see if anything has been reported." Duke walked off talking into his radio.

"Chin, is there a way we can get eyes into the diner. Any security cameras they have or failing that can we try and get some cameras aimed at the windows?" Steve asked. Chin looked from the diner to Steve.

"Steve, the blinds inside are shut. The chances of getting cameras on that place are slim." Chin said. Steve looked from the diner and then down at the ground.

"I know, but we need to try." Steve said. Chin noticed how solemn Steve was.

"Okay I will see what I can do." Chin said. Steve watched his team rush off to their assignments. He looked back to the diner but could not get the image of Danny out of his mind. The scared look on Danny's face made Steve's heart jump up into his throat. But he knew his partner. He knew the fear was more for Grace then himself. Steve silently prayed that Danny didn't do anything to upset the gunmen inside. In some ways Danny's mouth could get him into trouble. Steve hoped this was not one of those times.

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Danny couldn't stop worrying as he sat in the booth opposite Shane. From where he was sitting he couldn't see Grace, Kate or Maddie. Something was telling him Shane had planned it this way. Danny knew he needed to get them out of this violate situation as soon as he could. The fact these men had already shot at the hostages made Danny worry more. They were not afraid to use their guns.

"Oh my god. I don't think he is breathing." A lady screamed from the corner. Danny stood up but Shane motioned for him to sit.

"What is going on?" Shane asked standing up. Charlie peered over the ladies who were tending to the man shot when the siege had started.

"He looks bad Shane." Charlie said.

"Let me help him." Danny pleaded standing up once more.

"Sit down!" Shane demanded of Danny. Danny looked at him but didn't move.

"You have killed one, if this man dies then there is no way out for either of you. Forget life in jail, you will get the death penalty for sure." Danny said.

"I said sit down!" Shane violently hit Danny across the forehead with the side of his gun. Danny stumbled back onto the seat, his hand on his head.

"He isn't breathing!" A lady screamed again.

"Help him!" Someone else screamed. Danny could hear a commotion but couldn't see from where he was laying on the seat. He slowly sat up ignoring the swimming head.

"Do CPR!" A man said.

"I am, its not working." The first lady replied.

"Everyone shut up!" Shane called. The hostages looked up to him but the lady continued to perform CPR.

"We should help him." Charlie said.

"No one moves." Shane said.

"Shane, you don't want to be responsible for another death. Trust me." Danny said. Shane turned back to Danny, his gun pointed at him.

"Did you want me to shoot you?" Shane said.

"Please, let me help him." Danny pleaded again. Shane glanced to the downed man and then back to Danny.

"Go." He said. Danny got up and rushed to the side of the man. A lady was doing CPR on him. Danny listened to the mans chest as he felt for a pulse.

"Its weak but its there. Keep pumping." Danny looked to the bullet wound on the mans lower chest. "I think the bullet is lodged in his chest. We need to stop the blood loss." He said. He noticed that the wound was already covered by a ladies small cardigan which was soaked in the mans blood. But it wasn't helping control the blood loss. Danny remembered something and reached for his wallet.

"What are you doing?" Shane demanded, his gun pointed at Danny.

"I need a credit card. It will act as a suction against the wound and help control the bleeding." He said. Danny took a second to look up and noticed Grace and Maddie sat in a booth, Kate was hugging them both. Grace looked scared but unhurt.

"Go ahead." Shane said. Danny pulled his wallet out and took out a card. He looked up to the lady holding the cardigan against the wound.

"When I say, I need you to take your hand away. Someone grab some table cloths." He demanded. There was a flurry of movement as a tablecloths were ripped from the tables. Someone handed them to Danny and he handed them to a young man beside him. "Keep hold of these and be ready when I ask for it okay." The young man nodded in agreement. Danny looked up to his helpers and then to the lady trying to steam the blood loss. "Okay. Now!" The lady moved her hand away and the blood almost shot up like a fountain. Danny quickly placed the card against the wound and clamped down hard.

"ARGHHHH!" The injured man screamed, the pain causing his body to wake up. The lady stopped her CPR and cradled the mans head.

"Tablecloth." Danny called. The man handed it to him and between Danny and the other lady, they secured it around his body. Danny tied it tight against the wound. He then repeated the action with the remaining cloths, almost covering the man in the red and white check cloths. He sat back, panting hard. The man was awake but looked as white as a sheep. Shane reached down and pulled Danny up.

"You helped him. Now move." Shane pushed him back to the booth.

Danny walked away looking down at the blood covering his hands.

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Danny was about to sit back down when he once more turned to face Shane. Shane glared at him.

"I need to wash up." Danny said.

"This is not a day spa. Sit." Shane said.

"I am not going to try anything I promise. I need to wash this blood off." Danny said. Shane looked at him for what seemed like ages.

"Charlie. Watch them." Shane said. He pushed Danny once more to the back kitchen and past the dead body that was sprawled out on the floor. He spied a wash basin and pointed Danny in that direction.

"Go." Shane said. Danny was grateful for the water as it ran over his red hands. The blood soon washed away. Danny glanced up and caught his reflection in a small mirror above the basin. He was sporting a small gash on his forehead which was bleeding itself. Danny wiped his hands on a nearby towel and then applied the towel to his forehead. He pulled it away and saw a small dash of blood on the towel. It wasn't enough for him to worry about, of which he was grateful. He turned to look at Shane.

"That man needs medical help. If he stays here, it will only cause a major distraction with whatever you have planned here." Danny said.

"You are like an annoying child. Not wanting to stay quiet and constantly asking 'are we there yet!'"

"Yeah, my partner would agree with you."

"He goes when that partner of yours does something for me."

"He has, you wanted the police to back off and they did. Show goodwill and let that man go." Danny said. Shane looked at him and tilted his head in a freaky way.

"Does your partner ever want to shoot you?"

"Many times I am sure."

"I can see why. You are beyond annoying...okay, I will let him go." Shane said.

"Thank you." Danny said. He wasn't too sure why he was thanking this man. He was the reason that other man was injured and why they were caught inside. Danny wanted to plead with him to let the children go, but he didn't want to push it. Small steps were needed in this situation. Shane motioned for Danny to move back into the diner area and back to the booth.

"Charlie, get that man up and ready. We are going to make a call and letting him go." Shane said. Danny watched as he walked back towards the counter. Shane picked up the counter phone and handed it to Danny.

"Dial your partner. Try anything..." He cocked his gun and pressed it against the side of Danny's head. "...and I will shoot you."


	8. Chapter 8

Steve stood across from the diner staring at the locked doors and closed windows. He thought he could see some movement inside but it was hard to tell. If there was, was it good or bad movement. He wish he knew what was going on inside. He hated feeling helpless. He wanted to bust in there and take out the gunmen inside, but he knew it was foolish. There was too much risk involved.

"Steve, your hunch was correct. There was a bank robbery at National Bank on Ioa Street earlier today. 4 guy team, one was arrested the other 3 got away. I have requested video footage and witness descriptions to see if these are our guys." Duke said.

"Thanks Duke. You should head back and be with the squad. I will call if I need you." Steve said.

"Sure. Be careful." Duke wished him well and headed off.

"Steve we are starting to get a list of names of those customers inside. We are running checks on them to see if anything pops up. Nothing yet." Catherine said standing beside him.

"Thanks." Steve was solemn in his reply. Catherine put a hand on his shoulder. Steve stood still, his arms crossed, just staring at the diner.

"Whatever you need us to do. We will do it." She said.

"Yeah I know. What I don't understand is why 3 men would end up pulling guns in a diner like this. Did they know Danny was a cop?"

"Its possible. Maybe they figured it was safe to hide in a diner like this. No one would expect it, but then they saw Danny, maybe recognised him as a cop and then panicked." Catherine summarised.

"Grace is in there…she…if anything happens to either of them….." Steve couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Danny will protect her no matter what. And he has trust and faith in us to get her out safe. So we do that…..we get her, everyone and Danny out safe." She said. Steve's phone rang and he wasted no time in pulling the phone out.

"Hello." He said.

"Steve." His partner's voice came through the phone.

"Danny are you okay?" Steve asked. He heard a small sound and then another voice came over the phone.

"I have a gun pointed to your partner's head. If I hear anything I don't like, I will shoot him."

"Okay. Just tell me what you want." Steve said.

"In a minute, that door will open and 2 people will bring out an injured man and leave him outside. Once they return and the door is shut. Someone can come forward and retrieve him. No police and no guns. I will have this gun pressed against your partner's head and I will be watching from the window. I will not hesitate to pull this trigger."

"I understand. Please don't hurt anyone. I am here to work with you to get this situation resolved as quick as we can without anyone getting hurt."

"Well that depends on how you act and what you do."

"I am not going to try anything."

"When they come out with the man, I want that dark haired lady to come and pick up the injured man. You are to stay back. Remember, I can see you and all you do." The man put the phone down and Steve looked to Catherine.

"You spoke to Danny?"

"For a second. He sounds more annoyed then anything." Steve said. "He wants you to go for the injured man." Steve explained to her. Catherine readily agreed and the two stood and watched the diner door.

H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50

As Shane had said, he had instructed two ladies to pick up the injured man and take him to the door. Charlie stood poised to open the door. Shane stood over Danny as he sat in the booth. The gun was pointing directly at him. From where he was stood, Shane could see out of a window and across the road. He noticed the man called Steve was stood there with the dark haired women, another man and another women. They all were looking across to the diner with anxious looks on their faces.

"Well we have an audience. What are their names?" Shane asked looking at Danny.

"How should I know? I don't even know who you are looking at." Danny said.

"Well I am guessing the tall and tense looking one is your partner. So who is the lady with the long dark hair and the Asian looking pair."

"Catherine is the one with the dark hair and the other two are Chin and Kono." Danny said.

"You guys like a Scooby gang or something?" Shane laughed.

"Something like that but with less dog hair and more actual crime solving." Danny replied.

"Okay ladies. This is simple, you take him outside, 10 steps out. Drop him on the ground and walk back to this door. No tricks. Charlie, watch them and watch the door."

"Why don't you let the ladies go? They will be outside. Just let them go." Danny said.

"Is there an off switch on you? Or do I need to pull this trigger." Shane said. Danny tensed up and looked down at the ground as Shane stepped closer, the gun hovering around his temple. "Ladies, I am waiting." He called to them. Danny watched as the ladies struggled to lift the almost unconscious man up and support him on their shoulders. Charlie opened the door and the ladies walked through, dragging the man with them. Danny watched, hoping to catch a glimpse of his team outside. But the booth he was sat in was at the wrong angle and all he could see was a deserted road. Danny heard the running steps of the ladies as they rushed back into the diner, each of them was sobbing as they returned to their spots on the floor. Charlie wasted no time in shutting the door again and locking it up. For a second Danny felt dejected. He had silently hoped that Steve would have a plan that would go into effect when the door opened, but when nothing happened, Danny felt dejected.

"Nice to see police that pay attention and do what they are told." Shane said, looking out of the window that was behind Danny. From there Shane watched Steve and Chin retrieve the injured man from Catherine and place him in a car. Catherine that got into the car and the car pulled away.

"Of course they are. They don't want anyone else in here hurt." Danny said.

"And as long as they, and you, play nice…then no one else will be." Shane said.

"So now what?" Danny asked. "You have a reason for being here, for doing this. So I assume you are going to inform my team out there."

"All in good time. First things first." He looked across the room to one of the waitresses. "You get paid to serve food. I am sure Charlie is as hungry as me. Why don't you sort us out some fries?" The lady looked scared as Charlie hovered over her.

"Let me do it." Danny said. "Leave her alone."

"Not a chance. Come on sweetie, chop chop!" Shane said.

"You really want her to go back there and see that dead man in there. A screaming and uncontrollable lady? I don't think so." Danny pointed out.

"And what do you suggest?" Shane said.

"Either move or cover him." Danny said. Shane looked over to the lady and then to Charlie.

"Watch them Charlie." Shane said. He grabbed Danny by the arm and once more dragged him back to the kitchen.


End file.
